The Music Exhibition
by OrsonWells
Summary: What a difference a year makes... something a little different. Hope you all like it! it is Shenny of course. AU. (no beta on this...)


**Plot Bunnies be hoping in my head...**

* * *

A year, that's all it took, a year and everything changed… not for the better, for the most part…

It was like a domino effect, or chaos theory, as a tall particular someone had described once. It started when she and Leonard moved away from the place she'd called home for the last ten years. It was bitter sweet, she didn't want to do it, but Leonard convinced her that it was needed. Amy had seemed to get Sheldon to be okay with it. But he wasn't. And he ended up being right. Our months later and Bernadette and Howard had a child, a little girl they named Carla. Raj met a nice girl and they got serious real quick. And she and Leonard divorced. It turns out his transgressions followed him and well, once you catch you husband kissing his lab assistant, all bets are off, no amount of therapy or drugs can ever fix that. And Sheldon had a nervous breakdown and disappeared from the face of the earth.

It had been another 8 months filled with more moving, more lost contacts and more moving on. Penn ended up in New York, her job took her there. She only really kept in contact with Howard and Bernadette, Raj and Jessica. Everyone else was gone from her life.

Penny enjoyed her life, she had friends, but it was never like it had been… no one could replace what she had lost. She didn't date anymore; she was tired of it all, tired of idiots and broken promises… and needed alcohol and meds to deal with it.

She lived alone with her cat in the Upper East Side; she walked to work every day and shopped at the farmers market for dinner. She'd come home to Oppenheimer (he had that name at the shelter.) he had blue eyes and a dark short haired coat.

On this particular day, it was snowing out, cold, she set her keys in their bowl by the door and kicked off her boots as Oppenheimer purred and started to circle her legs happily.

"Hey there Oppa." Her nickname for the cat, she bent to scratch his head before she removed her coat and took a calming breath in. today had been a stressful one at work, being the boss of people as exhausting.

She did her usual evening routine, changed into cozy clothes and ate some leftover pizza. She sat on the sofa with tea and switched on her tv. Oppa was snuggled next to her.

Her phone buzzed and she muted the comedy rerun to check the caller id. She furrowed her brow and answered the call.

"Hey Raj, everything alright?" Penny asked. He didn't call randomly unless something was up. They had times, all of them, for when they'd call each other each week or month.

"I found him." was all Raj said.

Penny sat up straight, nearly spilling her tea and startling Oppa. "What?" Penny's heart was racing, she was scared and worried and a little panicked.

"Yeah, it's kinda funny how it happened to." Raj said it almost amused, "because his name wouldn't come up on anything new… he's not working at any universities, or publishing any work." Raj continued, he seemed to not notice that Penny was so silent. "my sister was in New York for a day last week and she posed a photo of something on Facebook, what it was doesn't matter, but I saw a poster on a telephone poll." Raj explained. "You still there Penny?" he asked.

Penny nodded, and realized he couldn't see her, "sorry… yes… go on," she was okay with him taking his time; she almost didn't want to know where he was.

"Okay… anyway, the poster caught my eye and I zoomed in, it was just a symbol, it was the Green Lantern symbol mixed with The Flashes." Raj sounded excited. "so I googled the band name, guess who we both know, who is now the lead singer and guitarist of a band called: Paranoid Android?" Raj asked.

"Oh my god… Sheldon Cooper is in a band?" Penny was confused. "The Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD PhD?" She wasn't buying it, there were other Sheldon Coppers in the world… she knew because she googled it.

"It's him! He goes by just Cooper in the band, but if you go to the bands Facebook page, you'll see a few photos of him… they also have their music." she could hear Raj moving around, "they do mostly covers, but they're really good." Raj replied.

Penny was trying to wrap her head around this. "So Sheldon had a breakdown and started a band?" Penny shook her head, typical, she was smiling though, at least he was alive, and at least he wasn't locked away somewhere.

"Appears to be so… here's the kicker: he's in New York, been there for the last seven months." Raj said it carefully.

Penny's eyes got wide, "oh my god! That little… damn it." Penny was mad, but not really, at herself and at him, but he had to not have known she was in New York this whole time. "Raj.. Wow thanks… I um… I'll let you know what happens." Penny whispered.

"Tell him he is invited to Jess and my wedding okay?" Raj asked hopefully.

Penny smiled, "what makes you think I'll be going to see him let alone talk to him?" she asked with an arched eyebrow he couldn't see.

"Penny… this is Sheldon… and this is you… so say hi to him! Also tell him Howard misses him… he won't admit it, but he does." Raj was always so calm and kind.

Penny rolled her eyes and sighed, he was right, "okay, goodnight Raj."

She set her phone down and looked at her teacup on the coffee table. She felt excited and worried. She wasn't even sure what she would do when she saw him. She couldn't be mad at him, he went through a lot, they all had, and they all sort of ran away or moved on.

She wondered if he had a girlfriend, or damn…even kids… she shook her head, no not him.

Penny got out her laptop and went to Facebook, she searched for the band, she found it and started to look through the pages, saw photos of the band on stage, there were three other band members, she saw photos of him.

She didn't realize how happy she'd be to see his face again. He looked the same, same big blue eyes, his hair was a little messy and he let his hair be longer like it had been that one time. She noticed he wore jeans now, an unbuttoned plaid shirt (had had a lot in many colors it seemed.) and one thing she noticed that made her realize he was still Sheldon, he had on a graphic tee in every photo, the same ones she remembered, some new ones.

She scrolled through their biography, his was missing, nothing brought up that he was a doctor, or his intelligence. But that was part of why he had run… maybe it was all too much for him.

Then she saw a part of the biography, it was a link, it read, _"Hear where the band got their name from."_

Penny clicked it, it brought up a video, her heart beat aster, and the video was of Sheldon standing at center stage, his guitar hanging at his side as he adjusted the mic stand. She knew the song, she knew that she was the one that had introduced it to him, but he couldn't have…

" _Okay next, we're going to play the band's name sake."_ Sheldon spoke; his voice was the same, the audience erupted in some cheers. Penny didn't realize she was smiling so hard. _"I first heard of this band a long time ago… a friend introduced me to them… she also used to think I was kind of a robot._ " He said the last part with a little smirk. The audience freaked out.

Sheldon then righted his guitar and started to play, h stepped close to the mic, his smooth voice floated through the speakers. _"Please could you stop the noise, I'm trying to get some rest. From all the unborn chicken voices in my head"_

Penny watched the whole video. She was clutching a throw pillow to her chest.

She saw where they were performing next, tomorrow night, Friday night. She was nervous but she wanted to see him, even if she just watched and left. Penny liked the page before she finally went to bed that night.

She didn't see that Paranoid Android had added her as a friend soon after.

* * *

Their set was at eight pm, and Penny got their a little early. She'd never been in this bar before; it was only a ten minute walk from where she lived. it wasn't really a dive bar, more like a place where hipster types hung out, but clean and kind of nice, she was at the bar nursing a beer, she had gone home after work and changed, wearing jeans and a sweater, she ignored the men who walked up or looked at her. Her eyes kept floating to the stage. She was nervous; they'd be going on soon. She debated on leaving.

And then the lights went low and the people in the bar either stopped talking or started clapping. A man walked out to center stage, "is everybody ready for some Paranoid Android?" he asked, he was an older guy, the audience clapped and cheered. The guy left the stage and the band walked out, well some of them anyway. The drummer sat at his kit, he was a bug man, had dark skin and dreads, his name was Jake. The basest walked out; skinny guy with long hair pulled back, Kevin. Then a kind of short guy who did the keyboard and the sound mixing on stage walked out, he had a beard, Greg.

Penny only knew this because of the Facebook page. The audience cheered them all and then a plaid shirt wearing guy darted out on stage, his guitar at his side, the audience clapped and whistled.

Penny's breath caught in her throat, there he was.

Dr. Sheldon Cooper. He stepped up to the mic, "how's everyone night going so far?" he asked, the audience clapped and screamed. "Sheldon nodded, "we are, Paranoid Android and tonight we're mixing up the set list a little bit, last night something happened and I felt it was imperative that we do it this way." Sheldon said as he looked at the audience.

Penny looked around, she suddenly felt a little worried, he couldn't have meant…

"These are some songs that bring back old memories, good and bad… hope you enjoy tonight." Sheldon said into the mic before the band started playing music, the audience clapped.

Penny's heart was racing as she waited.

Sheldon started playing his guitar after checking that it was properly plugged in.

" _Try to hear my voice_

 _You can leave, now it's your choice_

 _Maybe if I fall asleep, I won't breathe right_

 _Maybe if I leave tonight, I won't come back_

 _I said it before, I won't say it again_

 _Love is a game to you, it's not pretend_

 _Maybe if I fall asleep, I won't breathe right_

 _Can nobody hear me?_

 _I got a lot that's on my mind_

 _I cannot breathe_

 _Can you hear it, too?"_

Penny was trying to not assume anything by the lyrics. But it was hard, especially when he kept searching the crowd.

" _You kiss and you kiss_

 _And you love and you love_

 _You got a history list and the rest is above_

 _And if you're warm, then you can't relate to me_

 _From the floor to the floor_

 _And the sky to the sky_

 _You've got to love and adore and the rest is awry_

 _And if you're warm, then you can't relate to me_

 _I said it before, I won't say it again_

 _Love is a game to you, it's not pretend_

 _Maybe if I fall asleep, I won't breathe right, right, right_

 _Can nobody hear me?_

 _I got a lot that's on my mind_

 _I cannot breathe_

 _Can you hear it, too?"_

Okay, now Penny was assuming. She stood from the stool and walked towards the stage, but she stayed in the shadows.

" _Leave your shoes at the door, baby_

 _I am all you adore, lately_

 _Come with me and we will run away_

 _Can nobody hear me?_

 _I got a lot that's on my mind_

 _I cannot breathe_

 _Can you hear it, too?_

 _Can nobody hear me?_

 _I got a lot that's on my mind_

 _I cannot breathe_

 _Can you hear it, too?"_

The audience clapped and whistled. Sheldon nodded at the band before he turned back to the mic, "something a little upbeat." Sheldon said and the audience went crazy.

Penny knew the song; she really hoped this one had nothing to do with her.

" _Every word from your mouth is a knife in my ear_

 _Every thought in your head is like poison to hear_

 _Like a snake in a suit spitting into the air_

 _With a tongue like a needle and we're shot full of fear_

 _White picket teeth and a big red alert_

 _The life of the party and we pulled up our skirt_

 _It's like poison_

 _It's like poison_

 _Every word from your mouth is a knife in my ear_

 _Every thought in your head is like poison to hear"_

Everyone had stood up from their tables and had their arms up and was jamming to the music. Penny couldn't help the smile on her face as she watched Sheldon jam out on his guitar in between singing.

" _A fool is a devil and a devil's a fool_

 _With a fork-tongue needle and you got us all fooled_

 _A monkey doing tricks and we couldn't resist_

 _If this isn't evil then I don't know what is_

 _Oh oh oh ohhh oh oh_

 _It's like poison_

 _It's like poison_

 _Every word from your mouth is a knife in my ear_

 _Every thought in your head is like poison to hear_

 _Every word from your mouth is a knife in my ear"_

Sheldon finished, he was panting a little bit since he was hopping up and down as he sang.

The audience started clapping hard. "Thank you… oldie but a goody." Sheldon again scanned the audience. And then he stopped. Penny froze because he saw her, his eyes locked on hers. Penny had a moment of maybe running away.

" _Same dances in the same old shoes_

 _Some habits that you just can't lose_

 _There's no telling what a man might lose_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _The flame rises but it soon descends_

 _Empty pages and a frozen pen_

 _You're not quite lovers and you're not quite friends_

 _After the thrill is gone oh_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _What can you do when your dreams come true_

 _And it's not quite like you planned?_

 _What have you done to be losing the one_

 _You held it so tight in your hand well_

 _Time passes and you must move on,_

 _Half the distance takes you twice as long_

 _So you keep on singing for the sake of the song_

 _After the thrill is gone"_

Sheldon had kept looking over at her as he snag, his eyes watching and Penny was frozen, he smiled just slightly during the guitar break.

" _You're afraid you might fall out of fashion_

 _And you're feeling cold and small_

 _Any kind of love without passion_

 _That ain't no kind of lovin' at all, well_

 _Same dances in the same old shoes_

 _You get too careful with the steps you choose_

 _You don't care about winning but you don't want to lose_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _After the thrill is gone_

 _After the thrill is gone, oh_

 _After the thrill is gone"_

They finished and the audience clapped and whistled. Sheldon gave a little smile at the group, "okay we're gonna take a break, but we're here all night." Sheldon said into the mic before he set his guitar on its stand then he just stepped off the stage, dropping easily off the two foot high stage and striding up to Penny.

"Hello, Penny," Sheldon said as his eyes took her in.

Penny looked up at him, she didn't think she'd see him again, "hey, Moonpie." She could have died right there and been happy at the annoyed look that crossed his features.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Penny?" Sheldon asked, there he was. She saw the glint of humor in his eyes.

"Clearly not enough…You haven't been around a lot so I've just been getting out of hand." Penny said with a smile.

Sheldon nodded slightly and then h motioned for her to walk ahead of him to a table and booth. She did as told, her legs felt tired and her heart was exploding, she couldn't imagine how he felt.

They sat, Sheldon to her left, and near each other.

Sheldon was holding a paper napkin his hand, gently folding it up. "How did you find me?" Sheldon asked suddenly. He looked up and at her.

Penny felt a little hurt; she wondered if this was a bad idea. "Raj… he… it's all very CSI but he found you… called me… last night." Penny replied.

Sheldon furrowed his brow, "you flew out from Pasadena to see me?"

Penny's eyes went wide, "no… I live in New York, Sheldon, have for the last eight months." she noted his startled eyes.

"Is Leonard here?" he asked, he looked around for a moment.

Penny felt for him, Leonard had sort of abandoned him soon after he moved out, stopped coming over for the Halo nights and stopped with comic book days. "No… we broke up shortly after we moved out… divorced now." Penny said as she absentmindedly touched her empty ring finger.

Sheldon's eyes had watched her hand, "I'm sorry… I didn't know." Sheldon said sadly, "what else have I missed?" he asked in small voice.

Penny scooted closer to him, "Howard and Bernie have a one year old daughter, Carla. Raj is engaged to a girl named Jess." Penny went through her mind of what good things to tell him, "Stewart met a nice girl; he sold his comic book shop." She whispered. "Amy… she's.."

Sheldon huffed, "I know about Amy, I see her findings in the science magazines all the time, and she's clearly doing well with her husband." Sheldon said. He said it as if he'd been aware and used o the idea for a while now.

"Yeah… we don't talk much anymore." Penny admitted.

"Why are you in New York?" Sheldon asked.

"I got a promotion; I'm the head of my own sales team here." Penny said it with a smile.

Sheldon gave a little smile, "congratulations are in order."

"What about you, aside from the band?" she asked.

Sheldon sighed, "It's been this band, rehearsals and such, I still go the comic store, still have my scheduled dinners… just with three different friends." Sheldon paused a moment. "I work part time at a book store, I don't need much. Meemaw passed away four months ago so I have what she left me." Sheldon cleared his throat, still feeling the effects of hat event.

Penny reached and squeezed his arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." Penny whispered, she wanted to hug him.

Sheldon only shrugged, "so have you remarried or you know… found someone?" he asked, it was awkward and out of the blue, Sheldon trying to make small talk.

Penny shook her head, "no… haven't even gone to many bars… this is the first one in a while." Penny whispered. "What about you? Got any Cooper Groupies?" Penny asked with an arched eyebrow.

Sheldon shook his head, alarmed, "oh good lord no!" Sheldon seemed almost insulted.

Penny laughed out loud, missing his reactions. "I'm kidding, I know you." She said gently.

Sheldon gave her this look, "I should get back to the stage… you're staying?" he asked as he started to stand up.

Penny nodded, "wouldn't dream of laving." Penny replied.

Sheldon furrowed his brow, "well of course you would dream of leaving Penny… you have no control over that." Sheldon was confused.

And then Jake walked up and hit Sheldon on the back. "You bothering this lady?" he asked with a chuckle.

Sheldon rolled his eyes, "this is my good friend, Penny… Penny this is Jake." Sheldon grumbled.

Jake leaned over and shook her hand across the table. "So you're The Penny?" he asked with a grin.

Penny's eyes got wide and Sheldon shook his head quickly.

"The Penny?" she asked.

Jake nodded, "yup, he talks about you like you're this long lost love or something." Jake said, he looked at Sheldon, "glad I could help!" and he walked away.

Sheldon stood there witching, "he… he doesn't know what he's talking about, I mentioned you maybe twice." Sheldon's face twitched.

Penny smiled as she stood from the booth, "I've missed you to, Whack-a-doodle." She gave him a smile and Sheldon arched and eyebrow at her before he turned and started making his way to the stage.

God she missed this. It was kind of silly, but she missed having this in her life.

Penny sat at an empty table closer to the stage as the band got ready. She smiled up at Sheldon when he spotted her; he smiled back before switching on his guitar.

"This song is dedicated to my friend," Sheldon glanced at her before the band started to play their music.

Penny was a little surprised, she did love this song thought.

" _Karma police_

 _Arrest this man_

 _He talks in maths_

 _He buzzes like a fridge_

 _He's like a detuned radio_

 _Karma police_

 _Arrest this girl_

 _Her Hitler hairdo_

 _Is making me feel ill_

 _And we have crashed her party_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _When you mess with us_

 _Karma police_

 _I've given all I can_

 _It's not enough_

 _I've given all I can_

 _But we're still on the payroll_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _This is what you'll get_

 _When you mess with us_

 _For a minute there_

 _I lost myself, I lost myself_

 _Phew, for a minute there_

 _I lost myself, I lost myself_

 _For a minute there_

 _I lost myself, I lost myself_

 _Phew, for a minute there_

 _I lost myself, I lost myself"_

The audience applauded and Penny did as well, he really was good, but he wouldn't be Sheldon if he wasn't crazy awesome at something.

They quickly went into the next song.

" _I been reaching from the ground up_

 _To the highest heights_

 _I been cooking up a storm_

 _And I feel alright_

 _Got my head in the clouds_

 _And my feet up off of the ground_

 _I feel like death is chasing me down_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower_

 _It's a bird, it's a plane; Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne_

 _I got that, I got that, I got that superpower_

 _I been picking up the short stick_

 _Going from bad to worse_

 _And [?]_

 _Come out dressed in furs_

 _Got my head in the clouds_

 _And my feet up off of the ground_

 _I feel like death is chasing me down_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower_

 _It's a bird, it's a plane; Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne_

 _I got that, I got that, I got that superpower"_

Sheldon made eye contact with her during the break. He nodded his and raised his eyebrows and Penny stuck her tongue out at him.

" _I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower, superpower_

 _But today, I'm gonna superpower!"_

Sheldon smiled and then h motioned to the band for the next song.

" _Me and my guitar play my way. It makes them frown._

 _But little pieces by the highway bring me down._

 _Mine is not a heart of stone, I am only skin and bone,_

 _And those little pieces are little pieces of my own._

 _Why don't you give me some love?_

 _I've taken ship-load of drugs._

 _I'm so tired of never fixing the pain._

 _Valium said to me,_

 _I'll take you seriously,_

 _And we'll come back as someone else,_

 _Who's better than yourself._

 _Many faces at the doorway all hang round._

 _Watch me fighting in the hallway but make no sound._

 _So I'm standing all alone, and I'm only skin and bone._

 _So many faces but they all look out for their own._

 _Why don't you give me some love?_

 _I've taken ship-load of drugs._

 _I'm so tired of never fixing the pain._

 _Valium said to me,_

 _I'll take you seriously,_

 _And we'll come back as someone else,_

 _Who's better than yourself._

 _And someday soon they'll drop the bomb and let it all out. Someday._

 _I know that someday soon we'll all be gone so let it all out._

 _Let it all out today._

 _And give me some love,_

 _Yeah, give me some love,_

 _Come on, give me some love today."_

Sheldon did a little bow as the crowd erupted in more cheers, he motioned to his band and they all waved. "Okay… let's get a little happy, a little uplifted, here we go!" Sheldon started on the guitar and the audience settled down a bit waiting for the next song.

" _So this is what you meant_

 _When you said that you were spent_

 _And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit, right to the top_

 _Don't hold back_

 _Packing my bags and giving the Academy a rain check_

 _I don't ever want to let you down_

 _I don't ever want to leave this town_

 _Cause after all_

 _This city never sleeps at night_

 _It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _I'm never changing who I am"_

 _So this is where you fell_

 _And I am left to sell_

 _The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell right to the top_

 _Don't look back_

 _Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain check_

 _I don't ever want to let you down_

 _I don't ever want to leave this town_

 _Cause after all_

 _This city never sleeps at night_

 _It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _I'm never changing who I am_

 _It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _I'm never changing who I am_

 _This road never looked so lonely_

 _This house doesn't burn down slowly_

 _To ashes_

 _To ashes"_

 _It's time to begin, isn't it"_

Sheldon and the band paused for a second and then they all sang the chorus, the audience joined in.

" _I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _I'm never changing who I am_

 _It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand_

 _I'm never changing who I am!"_

Everyone erupted and Penny stood up to clap, excited and happy.

* * *

Penny had stayed until their final song. The bar was open until after three am but Paranoid Android shut down at eleven. The bar was apparently their regular performing location, so they didn't have to take the drum set or some of the larger equipment.

She watched them get packed up as the bar went back to normal; some music filled the speakers from and XM station. She watched as some girls walked up Sheldon as he wrapped up a cord for his guitar, he looked confused and one of them handed him her number.

Penny felt this weird feeling wash over, it couldn't be jealousy-no… and then she almost laughed as she watched Sheldon lightly slap the napkin to Kevin's chest. Who took and smiled really wide.

She let them finish up, not wanting to interfere; she waited by the bar again and maybe twenty minutes later, Sheldon had his guitar in its case and his messenger bag across his chest. He was wearing a winter coat, but it wasn't his massive parka she remembered him wearing in the past.

He walked up to her, he had a slightly shy look in his eyes, "you stayed until we were don." He said it almost surprised, but he smiled a little.

"of course," Penny said sweetly, she stepped closer to him, "It was nice seeing you again Sheldon, we need to hang out again soon." Penny said. It was weird and she sort of hated it... She wished they could just flow like they used to. but she really didn't know if he wanted her around at all, he had this whole new life.

She watched as Sheldon's eyes looked confused and then he looked down. "I was going to ask if you wanted to accompany me to a very late breakfast... There's a diner nearby that the guys and I got to after each gig." Sheldon said in his very Sheldon way. "But if you have-"

"I'd love to go." Penny said quickly.

Sheldon met her eyes after that. "excellent." Was his only reply.

Kevin, Jake and Greg pretended to not see what was going on as they walked past, although Jake elbowed Sheldon in the arm as he passed by.

Sheldon glared after the man, but let Penny walk ahead of him as they exited the bar.

* * *

"Of course we always knew he was freakishly smart." Kevin said between bites o waffle. "I mean who else would know the temperatures of not only the sun, but Venus, Saturn and space itself!"

"5,778 Kelvin, minus168 degrees Celsius and outer space can vary from several thousand degrees Fahrenheit to several hundred degrees minus Fahrenheit… give or take." Sheldon said as before he sipped his tea.

Penny and the guys were looking at him wide eyed. "And I really missed that." Penny said with a little smile.

Sheldon eyed her, "not sarcasm?" he asked, she shook her head, "oh good, I'm 0 for 10 this month." Sheldon looked proud.

Penny was sitting next to him the booth, Gary and Jake were opposite them and Kevin was in a chair on the end of the booth.

Penny reached over and poked his side and Sheldon jerked away, but not too far away, he gently grabbed her hand to push her away. She smirked at him and Sheldon shook his head.

The three men at the table exchanged looks, "well we better head home, and Greg has a thing in the morning." Jake said as he stood up and soon the other two did as well, tossing money on the table to pay their bill.

"It was nice meeting you, Penny, we'll see you again." Jake said and the others gave her little smiles and waves before they filled out.

Sheldon gave them a nod before he went back to his tea.

Penny watched them leave and then she looked at Sheldon, "what do you usually do after this?" Penny asked, she was curious now.

"go home, go to bed," he said it as he looked at the bottom of his empty tea cup, "do you want to stop by my place, it's close by, you can call a cab from there… if you'd like." Sheldon wasn't looking at her as he spoke; she saw some pink hue appear on his cheeks.

"Yeah… maybe we can get some better tea… or cocoa at your place." Penny started to slide from the booth and Sheldon followed.

"Oh yes, I'm not far from here actually." Sheldon said as he grabbed up his guitar, he led the way and they ended up walking a couple of blocks from the diner to his place.

It turned out to be a bookstore; well h had the apartment above the bookstore, which Penny found intriguing. She followed him up the steps to the third floor where his place was. he unlocked the door and she followed him in as he switched on the lights.

His place wasn't huge, but it was a nice size, she looked around, there was his couch, The Couch, he had his laptop set up on a desk near the wall, his flat screen, the walls had shelves and were lined with his collectibles, some books, his DVD collection and she even saw his giant DNA sculptor she walked carefully around, the kitchen was cute.

It was all so Sheldon and familiar, she realized she was alone in the living room and then she saw a door was open, his bedroom, out of curiosity, Penny walked over and peaked in, Sheldon was placing his guitar careful on its stand in the corner of his room, his bed was made up, he had shelves in there with his comic books, a closet.

"Does the rule still apply?" Penny asked as she leaned against the door frame.

Sheldon glanced back at her; he gave her this look she couldn't place.

"Or do you let girls in your room now?" Penny asked, she was smirking but also curious.

Sheldon shook his head, "you're the first girl to be in my apartment." Sheldon said before he walked up to her.

Penny looked up to meet his eyes. "Really?" his blues ones bore into her and she almost shivered. "How are you Sheldon?" Penny asked softly.

He was terribly close now, not that they ever had issues with personal space. "lonely." Sheldon replied in a low voice.

Penny nodded, "me too." She kept her eyes on his and he didn't try to break whatever I was they were doing.

"Do you still want that cocoa, Penny?" he asked eyes still on hers.

"Yes, Sheldon."

* * *

 **A/N: so I've never really put a lot music like this in a fic... idk if it came across right... or if the formatting makes sense... let me know! anyway, plot bunny, hope you all like it!**

 **Songs used:**

 **Paranoid Android - Radiohead**

 **Hear Me - Imagine Dragons**

 **Every Word From Your Mouth is a Knife in my Ear - The Bravery**

 **After the Thrill Is Gone - The Eagles**

 **Karma Police - Radiohead**

 **Superpower - X Ambassadors**

 **Give Me Some Love - James Blunt**

 **It's Time - Imagine Dragons**


End file.
